# Using an open NAS bay as removable backup rotation

**URL:** <https://forums.spacerex.co/t/using-an-open-nas-bay-as-removable-backup-rotation/1039>\
**Category:** Synology\
**Tags:** hyper-backup\
**Created:** [August 6, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://forums.spacerex.co/t/using-an-open-nas-bay-as-removable-backup-rotation/1039 "2023-08-06T19:49:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Rickperry](https://forums.spacerex.co/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/90db22/32.png) [@Rickperry](https://forums.spacerex.co/u/Rickperry)\
**Post date:** [August 6, 2023, 7:49pm UTC](https://forums.spacerex.co/t/using-an-open-nas-bay-as-removable-backup-rotation/1039/1 "2023-08-06T19:49:47Z")

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I have recently purchased and set up a 923+ primarily due to your tutorials. It has 3-8tb ironwolf drives (again…your tutorial), I am grossly over capacity in space but the drives were on sale. Anyway, in backing up my NAS I would like to be able to use another 8tb Sata to load in to the open bay for the backup, then remove it and install another for a rotating backup keeping one off site. Thereby rotating the drives through the open (4th) bay (rather than do it with a USB connection). Logically it seems as if I should be able to do that though I can’t find that option discussed. Is it possible?

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**Author:** ![Paul](https://forums.spacerex.co/user_avatar/forums.spacerex.co/paul/32/93_2.png) [@Paul](https://forums.spacerex.co/u/Paul)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 12:02pm UTC](https://forums.spacerex.co/t/using-an-open-nas-bay-as-removable-backup-rotation/1039/2 "2023-08-25T12:02:23Z")

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Short answer: no. You should use a USB drive for that.

Long answer: any drive in a drive bay, even if configured as a pool and volume on its own and not combined with any other drive, is part of the operating system (DSM) configuration. It is considered a fixed drive.  
USB drives, on the other hand, are considered dynamic and removable.

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**Author:** ![Rickperry](https://forums.spacerex.co/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/90db22/32.png) [@Rickperry](https://forums.spacerex.co/u/Rickperry)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 12:50pm UTC](https://forums.spacerex.co/t/using-an-open-nas-bay-as-removable-backup-rotation/1039/3 "2023-08-25T12:50:59Z")

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Thank you for taking the time to respond. That is very helpful.

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**Author:** ![Joss](https://forums.spacerex.co/user_avatar/forums.spacerex.co/joss/32/405_2.png) [@Joss](https://forums.spacerex.co/u/Joss)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2023, 10:13pm UTC](https://forums.spacerex.co/t/using-an-open-nas-bay-as-removable-backup-rotation/1039/4 "2023-08-25T22:13:23Z")

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Oh damn, good info. I wanted to do the same as @Rickperry … so I’ve opened a new thread extending this question to TrueNAS Scale and unRAID.

> [@Possible to use open NAS bay with standalone unassigned HDD (ext4) for backup rotation? (TrueNAS/unRAID)](http://forums.spacerex.co/t/possible-to-use-open-nas-bay-with-standalone-unassigned-hdd-for-backup-rotation-truenas-unraid/1141):
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> @Paul wrote in [this thread](http://forums.spacerex.co/t/using-an-open-nas-bay-as-removable-backup-rotation/1039) that in DSM you can’t use a standalone HDD in one of the NAS bays for server backup and rotation, i.e. hotswap & exchange two drives, and always have one offsite. The only way is to use USB DAS. This is a bummer, because I wanted to do the same, so the chances of me buying a Synology have dwindled further. My plan is to use one SATA lane for a hotswap 3.5" HDD, and run nightly backups from the main storage pool (ZFS) to the HDD (simple clone, not incremental). The bac…